West Indies are the most successful team in the history of the T20 World Cup. While no other team has won the tournament more than once- with Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and India, all having tasted success once, the Men from the Caribbean have lifted the trophy twice- once in 2012 and then again in 2016.
Having said that, times have changed and fortune seems to have deserted the West Indies. Moreover, there have been a lot of issues within Cricket West Indies and between the board and the players that have forced them to not field their best XI. This year too, West Indies will first have to go through the Qualifiers to reach the next stage of the tournament.
That being said, if there is any format where the team could fancy their chances, it is the shortest format and they have some outright match-winners in the squad.
Here is a look at what could be West Indies’ Playing XI in the T20 World Cup.
1. Kyle Mayers
Kyle Mayers is the likely opener for West Indies in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. They have given him that role for quite some time now and would like to stick to him in this marquee event. Mayers has a couple of 50-plus scores and strikes at 130 plus in T20Is in the 17 innings that he has played.
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2. Johnson Charles
Mayers is likely to open the batting with Johnson Charles. Although the team also has Evin Lewis in the squad but he has not played a T20I since the T20 World Cup last year and may not be their first choice in this year’s event. Charles has been a regular member of the team and is likely to open along with Mayers.
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3. Brandon King
Brandon King is set to bat number 3 for West Indies in T20Is. After showing some consistency in the CPL, he made his way into the national team and now will play a crucial role in the side in the T20 World Cup. King’s strike rate is 127.15 after 28 innings.
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4. Nicholas Pooran (captain)
Nicholas Pooran is the captain of the side and will keep wickets as well. On reputation, the left-hander is their best among the batters. However, he has been inconsistent and has blown hot and cold. If he can set that issue right and can increase the gap between his low scores, Pooran would have led by example, inspiring the entire team and also taking them to their targets or helping them post a formidable score in the process.
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5. Jason Holder
Another vital member of the West Indies team is Jason Holder and he will surely walk into the Playing XI. Not only does he provide immense balance to the side as he can be a match-winner both with the bat and ball, he can also bat at varying positions depending and can play as per the demand of the situation. His experience on bouncy wickets will be critical and the team would also bank on him for some wickets.
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6. Rovman Powell
A beast of a cricketer, Powell can tear apart any bowling attack on his day. Much like Holder, he can also be handy with the ball in hand, though not as bankable though as Holder. One can see him bat at various positions especially if West Indies are trailing by plenty or are in a mood to demolish the opposition attack.
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7. Akeal Hosein
Akeal Hosein is without a doubt, West Indies’ best spinner in white-ball cricket at the moment. He has an economy of under 7 and has 23 wickets from 26 innings. With larger boundaries at play in Australia, he will not be a defensive option but someone who can chip in with wickets in the middle overs. Make no mistake, Hosein is also one of the finest fielders in world cricket at the moment.
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8. Sheldon Cottrell
Sheldon Cottrell has been a much-improved cricketer in the recent past. Moreover, he provides the option of a left-arm pacer in the ranks which is always an advantage as it brings into play, the different angles and forces the opposition batters to plan and execute differently. Cottrell has an economy of under 8 and has scalped 50 wickets in T20Is.
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9. Alzarri Joseph
Despite having a young career in T20Is, Alzarri Joseph has an uncanny ability to deceive the batter and he has taken seamlessly from the T20s into the T20Is where his economy has also been under 8. Batters can face some challenges against him, especially those who will face him for the first time in international cricket.
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10. Yannic Cariah
Yannic Cariah is a great addition to the West Indies spin department. While Hosein was a left-arm orthodox, Cariah’s leg-spin would just be the ideal balance that would have been missing from their attack, if not for him. Moreover, with the kind of all-round options West Indies have, it is not necessary that he bowls his 4 overs in all matches. But if he proves to be effective, it will be a win-win situation for the team.
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11. Obed McCoy
Obed McCoy will spearhead the West Indies pace attack. Once again, he might go for a few runs, especially because he is trusted to bowl the difficult overs, but he is their prime wicket-taking option at the moment as an average of 18.59 in T20Is would suggest.
